Recoil Reality

[lizziedog1]

Does anyone else here think that the way recoil is decribed and reported in magazines and manuals is a bit exaggerated?

First let me say that I am not a particularly big or strong man. Call me average on both. Nor do I enjoy pain. I am the biggest sissy in the world when it comes to medical needles.

I was reading about guns almost as soon as I was able to read. I remember reading about those dreaded magnum handguns. 44 magnums could only be shot by men slightly stronger than Superman without suffering great bodily harm.

As young adult I bought a 44 magnum revolver. I would reload light loads, heavy loads, and everything in-between loads for it. Granted, some of the heavy loads had stiff recoil. They would not be my first choice for plinking loads. But, my wrist never broke, my face was never bloodied, the gun was never dropped, no harm at all ever came from shooting a 44 magnum.

The last couple of times I visited our local range I was given a chance to shoot a 338 magnum from the bench. Reading some of the stuff written about this cartridge would have you believe pulling the trigger would cause pain like being kick by a mule.

Again, the recoil was there. I wouldn't shoot boxes of 338 ammo at tin cans in the desert for fun. But I survived those shots quite nicely. Again, no bruises, broken bones, seperated joints or other maladies to report.

Do I like hard-kicking guns. Not really. The shotguns I use for bird hunting are autloaders. The main reason is that they soften recoil some. But it doesn't mean firing a single barrel 12 gauge would send me straight to the ER.

So, does anyone feel that recoil claims are exaggerated?

Why are they?

 

[MECHAGODZILLA II]

For orthopedics, arthritics(me), amputees(Dad), the underweight, the elderly, the very young, recent crime victims, and the easily intimidated; recoil is a major concern. Your objective in shooting is either defense or hunting. 'Adulting a kid up'. by making them shoot firearms they can't handle well is a very good way to turn a kid into an anti-gun/anti-self defense/anti-hunting adult.

One cheap solution to long gun recoil is the .'Limb Saver Recoil Pad'. Gun shops should have the aforementioned in all three sizes, to serve as patterns for what best fits a certain long gun. Handguns are somewhat more problematic, however.

The Hogue grips are very good, albeit I'm not sure as to the effectiveness of other brands of aftermarket handgun grips, too. Stay away from snub-nosed magnums, they are documented to have injured people's wrists whom have shot them. Going to the ER because you got hurt said way defeats the purpose of shooting.

Ditto for sawed off shotguns, too(any gauge). A brush gun(a shotgun with 18 to 24 inch barrel). Example: buying a .20 gauge 'Youth Model' pump action shotgun rather than a sawed off .20 gauge. More firepower(5 shells instead of two), easier to aim, fully legal, and less recoil, too.

Full-sized handguns are easiest to shoot, their extra mass soaks up the recoil. Most self defense experts recommend a four to six inch barrel for self defense work. If I had to pack a magnum(.357)
I'd choose a six inch barrel. I hope to acquire a Glock 17 9mm this year, too.

Shoot to live, Don't shoot to maim yourself!

 

[infmp32]

I'm not big by any means, never grew much after I hit about 14 or 15. I shot a single shot 12 gauge the first time at 13 when I was old enough to hunt turkeys, it was surprising but it wasn't unbearable. Army Mossbergs would leave my shoulder sore after a day at the range. I've shot .45-70's and large caliber muzzleloaders. I haven't shot a magnum handgun or rifle yet, but even though I know what a 12 gauge feels like and don't hate it I'm not keen to get behind a .300 win mag at a bench rest with just a t-shirt on. Some guys might not have a problem with that at all.

So I think the reality of recoil is, it's relative.

 

[mo841]

seems recoil is one of them things that has always been over hyped. You watch alot of the guys on U tube shoot the 500 mag and it knocks them back a step, when people that know how to shoot do it, there arms raise a little, thats it. I suppose if you are not in the right stance when shooting that would have a big affect on felt recoil but the people in magizines are experienced shooters and should know how to hold the gun correctly. I can see medical conditions affecting how recoil is felt too but that is kind of a seperate catagory of why the recoil was monsterous as some like to disribe it.

 

[Armored farmer]

I can't think of anything good to be said for recoil. It is to be avoided or prevented.
Left uncontrolled, it will seriously affect, or seriously limit your shooting.

 

[MECHAGODZILLA II]

A factual observation, KBBAILEY. I commend you for speaking this instead of isms.

 

[gamestalker]

I don't think recoil is to any extent exaggerated at all. What I do think is that some individuals are more recoil sensitive. This may be because they don't know how to properly hold or shoulder the weapon, or mabe they are shooting with poorly styled grips or recoil pads. My first high powered rifle was a Rem. 700 ADL that came with a platic butt plate instead of a recoil pad. That rifle was brutal to shoot and would leave me with a very bruised and sore shoulder after only 5 or 6 rounds. So no, I don't think it is an exaggerated topic when referring to what is considered high recoil firearms.

The real problem for me isn't so much recoil, but the muzzle blast. I just commented on this topic. I love magnum wheel guns, and to the extent that I deliberately load full house for my wheel guns and nothing else. But lately muzzle blast has been effecting me so severely that I'm suffering near white outs from it.

And BTW, I am a 125 lb. 5' 5" man and enjoy shooting magnum firearms, rifle or handgun.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I believe it is exaggerated at times. This is especially true of the Mosin recoil myth. I'm talking about 91/30s here. All you hear is how bad they kick, and I don't find them any harder kicking than any .270, .30-06, or .308 myself. I think Mosins are actually pleasant to shoot. I guess I'm not particularly recoil sensitive. I think this idea comes largely from people who are used to shooting military calibers like 5.56 and 7.62x39 and are used to extremely light recoil. So then, the Mosin does kick hard compared to those. When you're used to .30-06s pushed to the max, it isn't that bad.

I also think gamestalker is right, that some individuals are more recoil sensitive than others, so obviously each person's answer to your question will be different.

 

[Owen Sparks]

Generally the more you weigh the worse percieved recoil feels. Lighter people tend to go with the flow while heavier people soak up more force from the recoil before their big heavy bodies move. It is all about inertia.

 

[gbran]

Recoil is usually, but not always over-hyped. I have a .454 Casull that with the right loads can get painful after just a few shots, but we've all seen the vids of those poor fellahs lighting off the 577 T-Rex..... now, that's recoil.

 

[Inebriated]

I am not very recoil sensitive, so yes, I find it to be exaggerated quite a bit. My first gun was a 12 gauge 870, so I got used to shooting heavy slugs quickly. I imagine if I started with a lighter-recoiling gun, I would have more of an issue with it.

Just about what you're used to, I guess.

 

[mbincorp]

Use a shoulder cannon, .56-50 original Spencer carbine. 350gr fnrh soft lead. the perfect subsonic.

 

[1911Tuner]

I can't think of anything good to be said for recoil. It is to be avoided or prevented.

The only way to avoid or prevent recoil is to not pull the trigger. Newton's 3rd Law of action and reaction and all. The other option is the make the gun so massive that the forces generated can't overcome the gun's inertia and cause it to accelerate backward...but that's not really a practical solution except with low-powered calibers. Easy to do with a .22 rimfire. Not so easy with a .50-90 firing a 550-grain bullet. Even a 13-pound Sharps rifle will beat the pea-green soup out of ya.

 

[M-Cameron]

the one thing ive learned....shooting is 90% mental.

this applies to Recoil also.....


now granted the physical recoil never changes.....but how the person interprets the recoil does.

If i spend a month shooting nothing but rimfire pistol.......and then pick up my snubby .357 mag, for the first few shots, it feels like a grenade going off in my hands......but after a few more rounds, you recalibrate to the recoil, and its not nearly that bad.....


i just picked up a Radom P64, and all i had heard was how snappy and harsh the recoil was..........well im used to a .357, so to me, the recoil wasnt really anything to write home about.

 

[Hk Dan]

Geck, I LIKE heavy recoil. If it feels that bad in back of the gun, imagine how bad it feels in the front of it! <g>

 

[Lex Luthier]

The whole idea of "kick" is exaggerated. It is the only thing a novice can comment on while being uninformed of every other technical aspect of shooting. This isn't a critical comment, it's the truth.

If it recoils too much, get a smaller gun.

 

[ball3006]

I remember back in the old days when I was a kid that if you shot a 1911 one handed, the recoil would put the pistol in your face.......Now, there is no way you can shoot my TC in 45-70 one handed. I am very careful who I let shoot the pistol. It WILL hit you in the face. Otherwise, recoil doesn't bother me. It is part of shooting. If you can't handle recoil from shooting, stay home and play with dolls.....chris3

 

[DAP90]

The only way to avoid or prevent recoil is to not pull the trigger.

Well sure, if you want to be strictly technical about it, but there are many guns and calibers that have too much recoil and are actually detrimental to the average shooters skill and interest. These should be avoided by most people.

If you can't handle recoil from shooting, stay home and play with dolls.....chris3

Sometimes I wish this wasn’t the High Road so I could respond to statements like this appropriately.

 

[usmarine0352_2005]

.

I used to be able to handle recoil better but as I've gotten older I noticed I can't handle it as well. Same for cold weather.


I have a .338 Win Mag and shooting that and my Savage Bolt Action shotgun from the bench more then 5 times is brutal. I just bought a PAST pad for bench shooting. Hunting is fine without.


I also bruise easily so after a sighting in session I am usually pretty bruised up. Even carrying a back pack, the straps leave bruises. And that's not a heavy backpack.



I don't think it's all mental. I used to shoot my .338 fine off the bench. I am also fairly small and weigh around 124-128lbs.


.

 

[lizziedog1]

Iam not saying recoil isn't there, and that with some guns it isn't hard.

I have a little, single shot, break open 12 gauge slug gun. From the bench it kicks the snot out of you. However, it doesn't cause permanent physical harm.

Has anyone here suffered an ER visit type injury due to recoil?

 

[mortablunt]

A lot of people seem to talk abut recoil being linked to what you learned to shoot on. And with the popularity of 5.56 guns with new shooters, a good many shooters consider the 5.56 to be a powerful beast of a round. Hence, when they first get their hands on a Mosin, a Garand, or an AK, they think that the recoil is horrendous. Zum Bespiel: http://www.a-human-right.com/garand.html I first shot on a 12 gauge shotgun, so in my mind, I always expect recoil to turn out like that. I later learned to shoot on a 7.62x39 AK, so from the beginning, I was already used to firing more powerful catridges. From there, I've been through guns in 7.62x51, 30-06, and 45 ACP. Also, some people have said that smaller guys tend to do better with recoil. I second that. It might be because I spent most of my life being beaten pretty badly by my much stronger older brother, so I at least know how to endure a beating. I was also taught kindly enough the correct hold for shoulder arms pretty early and even if you're a shrimp, holding the gun into your shoulder really will make recoil more manageable.

 

[JFrame]

Certainly, to a large extent, recoil is an "absolute" phenomenon -- that energy has to be transmitted somewhere.

But I also suspect that, in some cases, the fit of a particular firearm to a person's hand has a bearing on the perceived recoil, and whether or not it is tolerable.

I hear many men -- especially bigger men -- talk about the unpleasantness of shooting the ultralight J-frames, especially with +P or .357 ammo. I will grant that .357's in the scandium and titanium snubbies are fierce under any circumstances, but I don't experience any difficulty shooting .38 +P's in my 337PD and 360PD (which are, respectively, the lightest production .38 and .357 revolvers made) -- and I am a light-framed person with medium-sized (tennis grip) hands...Also, I am hardly a person that revels in "kick"!

This leads me to infer that the fit of the various J-frame grips to a person's hand goes a long way in affecting the sensation of recoil.


.

 

[Loosedhorse]

Recoil is subjective.

When the .357 first came out, there was concern about shoulders being dislocated.

A lot depends on equipment (I have a properly fitted .458 Lott with a thick Limbsaver pad AND a recoil reducer in it ) position (shooting high-recoil rifles from the bench is a bear--unless you use a Lead Sled--compared to a supported standing position), and technique (getting cheek-slapped by a 20ga recently hurt worse than anything I've fired out of the Lott--my mistake).

So, when someone tells you about recoil, it's like he's telling you what a meal you've never had was like: he can say what he thought of it, but you'd have to taste it to know for yourself.

 

[oneounceload]

One cheap solution to long gun recoil is the .'Limb Saver Recoil Pad'.

Proper gun FIT is the best way to mitigate perceived recoil

Shooting the heaviest gun with the lightest load will mitigate actual recoil

The two, while related, are NOT the same.

I have a little, single shot, break open 12 gauge slug gun. From the bench it kicks the snot out of you. However, it doesn't cause permanent physical harm.

Yes it does - over the long term, you WILL be seeing an Ortho doc for long-term damage. I know this from personal experience. No different than hearing and gun shots - once may not do do it, a few times may not either, but repeated exposure, even to lower velocity rounds WILL result in hearing loss over the long term

Recoil is NOT something to "pooh-pooh" or think it is funny to give some young or slight person a cannon to shoot and watch their reaction

 

[Ryanxia]

I like recoil as they say pain lets you know you aren't dead yet

I take smaller stuff to the range when taking people out for the first time but for me I'd shoot the big stuff all day long if it weren't so expensive.